NPR Music celebrated the vibrant artistry of Black women throughout Black Music Month on the Tiny Desk Concert series and literally and figuratively gave these artists their well-deserved, and in some cases long-overdue, flowers. After welcoming an array of sisters with voices to perform all June, they ended the special series with SWV themselves.
The legendary R&B girl group represented ’90s R&B to the fullest during their Tiny Desk debut. Cheryl “Coko” Gamble, Tamara “Taj” George and Leanne “LeLee” Lyons needed no introduction and started singing their first song “I'm So Into You” while the opening credits were still rolling. The ladies were packed behind the world’s most famous desk with their full band, four supporting vocalists (including Coko’s son Jayye Michael) and a three-piece horn section.
It was all about the ladies, though. Specifically lead singer Coko whose Pentecostal church-raised, gospel-infused vocals were still as powerful and soulful as they were back in 1992 when the group stepped on the scene and kicked in the door with their first album It’s About Time.
The majority of the tracks that SWV performed were from their classic debut. They ran through jam after jam singing “Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)” and “You're Always On My Mind.” In between these two cuts, they showed their sophomore album New Beginning some love by sharing “You're The One.” The ladies also made it “Rain” on Tiny Desk, performing the hit single from their third album Release Some Tension.
After those brief detours, it was back to where it all started for SWV. They revisited It’s About Time with their iconic slow jam “Weak,” and the in-studio audience robustly sang along and gave the beloved trio all the feels in that moment. Coko, Taj and LeLee were in a zone and completed their outstanding Tiny Desk Concert with the forever bop “Anything (Old Skool Radio Version).”
SWV’s mics were on and they thoroughly impressed. This was just a taste of what fans can expect from them on The Queens Of R&B Tour, which is currently underway with Xscape, Mya, Total and 702.
